Monetizing your game through in-game advertising is a popular way to ensure a healthy revenue stream. However, there is a delicate balance between using ads to generate revenue and overusing them to the point of distracting players. Adapting in-game advertising to align with player preferences is crucial.
We spoke with Odeeo CEO Amit Monheit to explore the benefits of utilizing audio ads to optimize in-game advertisements while maintaining a positive player experience. Monheit also discusses Odeeo’s latest discoveries and its new versatile SDK.
PocketGamer.biz: Looking back on 2023, what were the highlights and challenges for Odeeo?
Amit Monheit: 2023 was a remarkable year for our business, evident from our recently published full-year results. In-game audio advertisements gained prominence as a mainstream discussion topic for ad monetization. We significantly expanded our SDK presence and can proudly claim the widest adoption among in-game audio ad providers.
Market education has been pivotal to this success and remains our top priority for 2024. There is still a lack of understanding and undervaluing of the effectiveness of mobile gaming as an advertising platform, including underestimating the power of in-game audio.
Conducting thorough tests is essential to determine the right balance for your game and audience.
Amit Monheit
Players prefer less intrusive ads, so what guidance do you offer for designing audio ads and integrating them seamlessly into mobile games?
For publishers, thorough testing is critical. While we have best practices from numerous partners on ad frequency and game monetization, conducting comprehensive tests is necessary to find the optimal balance for your specific game and audience.
We have been collaborating with our partners to educate advertisers on the effectiveness of shorter, impactful, and potentially game-specific audio creatives with clear calls-to-action. Our research consistently shows that players appreciate the ability to continue playing while an ad runs, showing a preference for audio ads over other formats.
Can audio ads be overlooked due to the dominance of image-based media in advertising? How are you changing this perception?
Audio has been the slowest format to transition to digital platforms, presenting a significant opportunity for advertisers. The main challenge lies in advertisers still associating audio with specific publishers, rather than strategically leveraging audio to achieve their goals with their audience.
We are actively collaborating with our audio partners to promote the potential of in-game audio and encourage advertisers to think innovatively about leveraging audio to address their business objectives, whether it’s driving store visits, increasing signups, or raising product awareness.
Playing fewer audio ads with longer cooldowns is preferable over negatively impacting engagement rates.
Amit Monheit
How crucial is it to gather the right data to optimize audio ad performance, and what player data should developers prioritize collecting?
Data collection is essential for effective monetization, especially when introducing a new and innovative ad format to a game. For audio ads, it is vital for publishers to focus on the engagement rates of users listening to audio ads and how ad frequency impacts these rates. Playing fewer audio ads with longer cooldown periods is better than risking a negative impact on engagement.
Additionally, understanding the duration of player sessions in the game is key to deciding when and where in the game to place audio ads. For instance, it may not be ideal to play an audio ad during the initial levels if they are short and intended for users to practice the game.
What tools do you provide developers to enhance in-game ads? Could you elaborate on Odeeo’s recent SDK launch and its features?
Our new SDK (3.0) maintains the rich functionality of in-game audio ads that we are known for but offers greater flexibility and ease of integration. Developers can now experiment with multiple ad unit types, such as standard and rewarded audio ads, conduct A/B tests, and explore different configurations of the same ad types.
The new SDK prioritizes easy integration, with improved communication during the integration process and enhanced data available within the SDK itself. This update was crafted with our clients’ feedback in mind, aiming to provide a seamless integration experience while optimizing the performance of audio ad units in games.
Finally, what can we expect from Odeeo in the future?
In addition to our new SDK, we are thrilled to introduce the Publisher Portal, a groundbreaking tool in the in-game audio space. After successful beta testing with key clients, the Publisher Portal has seen rapid adoption and received positive feedback. This portal enables ad monetization managers to leverage the same functionality and flexibility with audio that they are accustomed to with traditional display and video monetization partners. We developed this product to drive wider adoption of in-game audio among publishers.
We are collaborating with leading demand partners globally, including international giants like DAX, AdsWizz, and Azerion, as well as regional experts like AnyEver in Germany and Otonal in Japan, to help publishers maximize revenue from in-game audio.
